Fly those pink, purple, and blue flags! West Hollywood is hosting the United States’ first city-wide Bi Pride celebration on Saturday, September 22.
The City of West Hollywood is organizing the event alongside with Human Rights Campaign LA and the Los Angeles chapter of the organization amBi, according to the Los Angeles Blade.
Join amBI for a unique celebration, starting with a rally in front of the West Hollywood Park Auditorium, a Bi Visibility Walk through the heart of West Hollywood, and culminating with a party back at the Auditorium. #amBiLA
For more info: https://t.co/tW6LO7f2ex. pic.twitter.com/SEwrJtNzwz— amBi (@amBiSocial) September 16, 2018
“While a small number of cities have issued proclamations recognizing Bi Visibility Day, this is a historic celebration as the first full-fledged Bi Pride celebration hosted by any U.S. city,” Ian Lawrence-Tourinho, president of the amBi network, tells the site.
Related: Why does bisexuality still make us so uncomfortable?
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amBi’s aim is “to build a world in which our bisexuality is a clear source of pride, joy, and strength” — a worthy mission, especially amid pervasive bi erasure and stigma. Bisexual individuals, Lawrence-Tourinho explains, face persecution from both sides of the Kinsey scale:
“Ostensibly LGBT events and LGBT organizations fail time and time again to address bi communit. Just a few years ago, it was common for amBi to get booed and heckled by gays and lesbians in the crowd as we marched in the LA Pride Parade. We still get hostile people coming up to us at the festival every year.”
Plus, bisexual individuals in relationships are often mistaken for straight or gay. “Short of carrying bi flags around all day, to be visibly bi we’d have to walk hand in hand with at least two people who aren’t the same sex,” Lawrence-Tourinho says.
And then there’s the common misconception that bisexual individuals fare better than other queer individuals in this majority-heterosexual world, though a recent study found that they can experience “higher risk for poor mental health outcomes” than their gay and straight peers.
Related: People are more comfortable having bi sex than having a bi partner, study finds
Now, however, the bi population will get their moment in the spotlight with West Hollywood’s Bi Pride celebration, which not-so-coincidentally falls on the eve of Bi Visibility Day.
“This is our first crack at this and the event will certainly evolve a great deal in the future,” adds Lawrence-Tourinho, “but we definitely would like to continue every year and create a model of celebration and visibility that can be duplicated in other cities around the globe.”
Donston
It’s all good. I just don’t care for the portion of the “bi community” (or “gay community” for that matter) that’s obsessed with making people who aren’t interested in identifying as bi say that they’re bi. Or who tell people that they can’t be gay or straight but also bi or pan. That’s a persistent issue I have with many bi-identifying people. Too many show resentment towards gay or straight identifying people who will admit to not being completely hetero or homo but who aren’t interested in completely embracing a bi identity. When I say I am a “gay-pansexual” I’ve gotten more flack from bi identifying people than straight, gay, queer or even pan-identifying folk. So, some of them can be as militant and pushy as a stereotypical “super proud” gay-identifying person.
But in general, I wish the whole “queer community” would mature past pride, parades, obsession with identity, and obsession with people validating your identity and focus more on self-understanding, mental health and living your most honest lives. However, I do hope the parade has no drama. That’s the last thing we need.
linniejr
Donston,
On some points I agree with you and on some I don’t. Where I do agree, We in the “gay community” do need to mature past pride, parades, obsession with identity, and obsession with people validating our identity and focus more on self-understanding, mental health and living our most honest lives. At the same time, I do believe that these same events can be used as an outlet for such. I look at many of the black pride parades, I had the opportunity to attend one in D.C. and Atlanta, they not only included the parades but they also included educational forums and things that should be and not being addressed in our community as well as how to make them happen. These events have helped even me a 51 year old black gay male, make improvements to my life. I don’t have a problem with people identifying themselves as bi or not, as long as they know who they are, they don’t need to wear it on a banner, however if that what makes them happy, I say go for it. I remember when my roommate in college came out to me, he was more shocked that I knew as opposed to the fact I didn’t care. I don’t tell everyone I’m gay, for most it would be like telling them I’m black; They know. But for those who don’t know, if they ask, I tell them.
I like you have issues with those who feel as if they have to make someone identify either way. I don’t care one way or the other. I just hope there are those who won’t reply by being crude or anything else, because I’m one that can see your point, even if I disagree with some points, I thinks we all should learn to agree to disagree and still be kind to each other.
Donston
I will also say that the “But if I’m with someone of my gender people are gonna think I’m gay. And if I’m with someone of my opposite cis gender people are gonna think I’m straight” has got to be the most shallow of “queer struggles”. Social media has made it very easy to express yourself and to establish your identity, never mind just telling people. While more people acknowledge fluidity and the spectrum. More people acknowledge that their identity or lifestyle isn’t entirely driven by attractions or sexual arousals or sexual enjoyments but also by things like romantic fulfillment and emotional comfort. While more people acknowledge that perhaps the gist of the population has some type of bisexuality in their orientation. Therefore, that type of complaint now comes off rather narcissistic and very sociology driven. The “bi community” needs to move on from that one.
udibi
Wow! Donston. You really have it out for bi people. Here you are, sitting as the beneficiary of the gay pride movement, taking everything for granted and wondering why others who don’t have that yet can’t just “move on.” Totally out of touch.
As for what you falsely interpreted as the struggle of being bi – what was being described was bi invisibility. You may think it’s trivial, but it means that literally none of the outreach that supposedly goes to the LGBT community goes for bi people. The LA LGBT Center, the largest provider of services to the LGBT community has an annual budget of over $100,000,000. How much do they offer for bi people? One chat. In 2016, over $22,000,000 of grant money went to trans-specific programming, over $9,000,000 went to gay-specific programming, over $4,000,000 went to lesbian-specific programming. How much outside grant money went to bi programming – All of $300.
Bi people get pissed at “pansexual” because it is just the latest in a long line of words that we’ve been told over the years are superior to bisexual. We even have a name for them. ABB – anything but bi.
You may not get it. You may not understand us. But please be so kind as to be quiet and stop actively being part of the problem.
linniejr
If the bi community wants to have a parade, more power to them. If for no other reason, I would like to go just to see how things are done.